


Begin As You Mean To Go On

by jesseofthenorth



Series: Where I've walked [2]
Category: Marvel 616, Marvel Avengers Movies Universe
Genre: AU, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, M/M, disturbing imagery of the aftermath of violent death, howard stark is is a dick but tony totally isn't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-03
Updated: 2012-03-03
Packaged: 2017-11-01 01:23:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/350437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesseofthenorth/pseuds/jesseofthenorth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is where it started</p>
            </blockquote>





	Begin As You Mean To Go On

**Author's Note:**

> Not posted chronologically, won't follow a solid time line but is rather a series of vignettes of varying lengths on a fluid (for now) time line. We'll see if it makes sense in the end.  
> Does not follow but is related to Go Not Where I Have Walked My Son

 

No one really knew if that was even his name. It was hand written written very carefully and neatly on the trim of blanket Tony found him with, one word written on the blue satin trim. _Connor_. Maybe it was even a last name. God knew they looked, later, but never found a single thing, not one clue about the child's origins. Except that he was as blond as his mother.

 

Tony was chasing the latest obnoxious, low-level, 'Mastermind' who was responsible for the malfunctioning robots (god, why did it always have to be ROBOTS?) currently destroying foliage in central park. He caught sight of the little prick and his hand held remote, gleeful directing the destruction within plain sight of the Avengers. Clearly not the smartest knife in the drawer. The self declared 'Mastermind' _was_ relatively quick given the fact that he was scrawny and and pale and clearly a little nuts, Tony was amazed how fast the guy could move when he finally decided to run. 

Tony flew after robot guy, following him into the underground parking where he promptly disappeared. Tony tried to find him ducking around obstacles but had to land because it was too hazardous even for him to keep dodging pillars and cars in the confined space. 

That's when he heard the sound.

He ran toward the sound knowing someone was in terrible trouble. Instead of an empty parking garage Tony found a small boy surely not more than a year old. 

He was wearing a t-shirt and a sagging diaper and was screaming, tear tracks running down his dirty reddened face. “Mama, mama, mama” he cried clutching at a pretty blond woman lying on the cement floor with the bullet hole in the middle of her forehead. 

The child was small and thin and blonde and holding a blood streaked blanket in his other hand, sitting there on the cold dusty floor, with one of his feet in a congealed pool of blood. The shock of that pale little person splattered with blood, sent an knee-jerk impulse along Tony's spine, the urge to rescue.

The boy cried so loud it must hurt his throat and all Tony could think of was making it better, getting him to stop, because he must have been hurting himself the way the screams were ripping out of him and tearing into Tony's heart. No one should ever have to make those sounds, and god he was 'just a baby I have to do something' ran though Tony's mind. 

“Steve!” he yelled into the com-link “I need you here now!” and snapped open the faceplate. 

The baby looked at him and started to scream even louder his terror ramping up to horrific levels when he saw what must have looked like a monster, when he saw Iron Man. Tony couldn’t bear the thought that he was making it worse and took off his helmet, the gauntlets, anything he could, moved slowly and started talking. 

“Hey little man.” he said gently reaching out a bare hand, wiggling his fingers so the boy could see it. “Shh it's okay” Tony told him, except it isn't, the boy was sitting in a puddle of blood. 

Tony could lie when he had to so he said it again “It's okay.” He used a gentle, quelling voice no one who knew him would ever think he possessed, but Tony knew what pure terror and and agony felt like and he could figure out a way not to make it worse. 

Tony squatted down so he was not so big, and maybe not so scary. The boy went back to crying instead of screeching in terror. 

“That's it” Tony said and moved a little closer trying to be stealthy or at least not loud and terrifying, crouching down even lower when he got close enough. 

He could have made a grab for the boy, pulled him away from the horror, but Tony didn't want to traumatize the kid even worse. Instead Tony sat and pulled off components of his upper armor and explained what he was doing while the child cried and watched him. 

Tony was hoping the sound of his voice would calm the boy, but he'd admit it helped him too, explaining it all, distracting them both from the horrendous thought of how long this terrified little boy had been sitting with his mothers corpse. Long enough for her blood to thicken. The thought made Tony sick, so he talked to calm them both down.

Tony was just glad the kid was looking at him and not the dead woman, his mama.

“See” Tony said “I'm just a guy, not scary. Just like you only bigger.” Tony didn't really pay attention to what he was saying just kept talking, keeping his tone low and soothing. 

When most of his upper armor was gone he reached out a hand, again, and held his breath waiting to see what the boy would do. Would this make it worse? Would the poor kid start screaming in terror again. 

“ It's okay.” Tony said. “Come on little man let me help you, you need someone to take care of you.” 

The boy looked at Tony with huge green eyes, his breath hitching around sobs and then he crawled over to Tony and climbed into his lap. Tony didn't even think about it when he closed his arms around the cold, shaking, crying boy, offering all the protection and comfort that was his to give. 

It hurt Tony, somewhere deep inside, to think how terrible the kid must have felt to seek comfort from a stranger because there was no other comfort to be had. Tony wondered if the blood on the boy came from trying to hug his dead mother. He pushed the thought sharply away before it made him sick. He carefully looked for injury while he held the boy, trying not to disturb him more.

Tony thought briefly about calling for Steve again but it meant moving the crying child away to put on his helmet. The thought was unacceptable, he held on tighter and waited instead. Steve would find them.

“Help will be here soon,” he told the boy and stroked his back. The little guy clutched his blanket in one hand and the fabric of Tony's shirt in the other, while he whimpered “ma ma ma ma.”

Tony just petted his hair and said “ I know baby, I've got you, it's okay now, you're safe. I'll keep you safe.” As he turned them both away from the pretty blond woman on the floor.

Steve found them 20 minutes later. 

He ran into the parking garage yelling for Tony, fear evident in his voice. He stopped yelling when he saw Tony huddled on the floor, but ran even faster. He skidded to a stop when he _saw_ Tony, crouched on the floor, parts of his armor scattered around him, holding a child in his arms a few away from a dead woman. Steve stared, stunned as Tony rocked back and forth holding the child who was crying, but curled up against Tony's chest almost asleep. 

Tony saw Steve then and looked up. 

He looked destroyed, wrecked by what ever this was, but he shushed Steve and kept rocking, didn't bother wiping away the tears on his own face just cradled the baby's head and whispered “Sh sh sh.”

Steve spoke quietly into his comm then moved in closer . He put his hand on Tony's shoulder and felt the tension there. Steve gave Tony's shoulder a gentle squeeze and sat down close to wait for help, for the Avengers to arrive.

Tony leaned against him and let Steve take some of their weight.


End file.
